In 2013, the Philippines edged New Delhi at number three spot in the top 100 global outsourcing destinations in the world; and while the Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry believes that the Philippines is a very strong contender in the top five most cost-competitive termini for IT-BPO services, one US-based company boldly predicts that by 2030 IT-BPO will be a trillion-dollar economy in the nation.

The ushering in of the practice of outsourcing or offshoring in the Philippines during the last decade of the 20th century has only led to the unprecedented growth of this business strategy in the country, which also continuous to benefit developing foreign companies and third party organizations.

Began by only a substantial number of Fortune 500 companies, top companies in Australia have also started to outsource in the country services that include call centers, customer relationship management, back office/chat support, creative processes, HR solutions, application maintenance, healthcare information management, medical transcription, software development, legal services, research, content writing and blogging.

Outsourcing, is a business strategy wherein a host firm contracts out a business process to another organization, called a third party. This third party organization may be located within the host firm’s own country or outside it, internationally, thus, the term offshoring.

Host firms usually resort to outsourcing or offshoring movement of certain company projects or services due to the lack of the necessary expert or skilled individuals needed for the job or because outsourcing just proves to be much more economically favorable – both for the host firm, which is able to save much from company expenditures, and the third party organization, which is able to create jobs while earning profits at the same time.

But what makes the Philippines a destination that deserves primary consideration? Top American and Australian companies that are already settled in the country agree on these same points: the employees’ high literacy and expertise in various areas, strong skills in the English language, a firmly established telecommunications infrastructure, competitive labor rates, and many others.

According to the website of Pinoy Partners Outsourcing Center Inc., some examples of outsourcing services available in the Philippines include chat support services, medical billing, SEO work, outbound calls, airline and hotel reservations, blogging, content writing, smartphone application building, and computer programming.

The path of online technology is continuous improvement, making people even in the most remote places on Earth fast and easy to reach. Outsourcing or offshoring has been proven totally beneficial and advantageous, without doubt. The only question is, who else is eager to get onboard and take advantage of the boundless opportunity outsourcing can provide?

Where driving is the issue, then all US states require drivers to have the financial capability, whether through auto liability insurance, a bond, or any other state-approved means, to pay for any damages they may cause to another individual and/or his/her property in the event of an automobile accident.

Auto liability insurance, which is mandated in 48 states have different types. Two of these are the full tort car insurance and the no-fault or personal injury protection (PIP). In full tort car liability insurance package, the drivers involved in an accident can sue each other, first, for the purpose of determining whose fault the accident was and, second, to seek compensation from the liable party for all (physical and/or property) damages the innocent driver was made to, and will still, suffer. Full tort coverage also allows for compensation for pain and suffering.

No-fault insurance or PIP is a type of insurance coverage wherein the policy holder is paid by his/her own insurance provider in the event of an accident regardless of whose fault the accident was. PIP, however, limits the right of the victim to sue the person at fault – a condition that many consider advantageous to both victim and driver at fault for such reasons as: both will be paid by their insurance providers; there is no more need to file a lawsuit for the victim to prove the fault of the other driver (the basis of tort coverage) and, upon determining fault, for the victim to claim damages; and, the cost of the premiums, compared to tort coverage, is lower since filing a lawsuit is no longer necessary.

Besides covering medical cost for bodily injuries, PIP may also cover other losses or damages (legally called economic damages) like lost wages due to inability to report to work (this is not an automatic guarantee, however, since some states have not approved coverage of lost wages).

The no-fault car insurance coverage is mandated in these nine states: Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Utah. Three other states: Kentucky, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, allow drivers to choose which insurance coverage they will want to carry either the full tort or the no-fault coverage.

According to the website of Schuler, Halvorson, Weisser, Zoeller & Overbeck, P.A., it is quite common for many insurance providers to deny claims, delay payments on claims, or underpay them. As a result, injured victims are further made to suffer by these insurance firms which put them in financial difficulties.

Injured victims, though, are not the only ones affected by the disloyalty of insurance firms. Even health care providers (who have provided the needed medical attention) end up not getting compensated for the services that they have already rendered.

Insurance providers, a lot of these, have been known to employ tactics which will keep them from making payouts in order to keep their profits. As a result, the ones in the losing end are the injured victims, their families, and all those who have rendered them services, especially health care providers. Auto insurance liability coverage policies are legal documents; there are times when it would take legal counsels to fight for the right of policy holders and to remind insurance firms of their obligations in compensating their clients who are eligible to make claims.

In 1986, the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act was passed into law, requiring truck drivers to undergo training which will enable them to possess the skills necessary in operating a truck, and to pass a test prepared by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), before obtaining a commercial vehicle license. This is partly to make sure that truck drivers will always be up to whatever challenging tasks their driving duties will require of them, such as driving for 11 hours with very short rest periods.

There are many other laws which have been passed, of course, all aimed at ensuring that only trained and qualified drivers are allowed to operate trucks and, once behind the wheel, will be kept kept from feeling drowsy and fatigued. And then there are also laws that strictly require trucking firms to conduct regular maintenance checks on their vehicles to make sure that these are always in good operating condition and free from defective parts or manufacturing defects. Thus, besides the licensing requirements enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are also laws that specify the allowed maximum number of hours of service (HOS) or driving hours, federal standards on truck tires and brakes, prohibition on the use of a cell phone while driving, and on the use of a bluetooth headset, among others.

Truck accidents and the threats presented by trucks on the road are common knowledge to hundreds of lawyers and law firms all across the United States. According to the website of Williams Kherkher one major reason trucks are so dangerous is the presence of multiple blind spots (around the truck) known as “no-zones”.

“No zones” are areas or spots around trucks (and buses) where crashes are most likely to occur; some are actually blind spots because smaller vehicles, especially cars, disappear from the view of the truck driver. There are four blind spots identified around trucks: the (left and right) side no-zone; the rear no-zone; and, the front no-zone.

Front no-zone: cutting in front of a truck immediately after passing it and, likewise, immediately slowing down can result to being rear-ended which, in turn, can lead to an accident and severe injuries.

Rear no-zone: due to the length and width of a truck, as well as the fact that this does not have rear view mirrors, smaller vehicles that tailgate it are usually never noticed by the driver; the driver of the smaller vehicle will likewise be deprived of a view of the road ahead. Thus, in the event that the truck suddenly stops, the smaller vehicle can very likely run into it.

Side no-zone: if there is one thing that drivers of smaller vehicles should totally avoid doing, this is driving along either side of trucks or buses as these are their big no-zone areas. A driver obviously does not see you if you, in turn, does not see his/her face in the side-view mirror; likewise, if the truck driver suddenly needs to change lanes or swerve, that can only mean very big trouble . . . for you.

Smaller vehicles that squeeze between (the right side of) trucks and curbs are also inviting disaster. Many smaller vehicles have been crushed beyond recognition due to this fatal mistake either by drivers of smaller vehicles or by truck drivers who fail to first make safety checks before making a right turn.

Iowa car accident attorneys would probably tell you that even cars have blind spots, though these are much smaller compared to trucks and buses. To make all motorists aware of this blind spot or no-zone issue, the concept was introduced in the early 1990s, for the dual aim of teaching drivers to stay out of no-zone areas and calling on truck drivers to pay extra attention to smaller vehicles that may happen to end up in these areas.

Some studies show that majority of road accidents that involve cars and trucks are actually faults of drivers of smaller vehicles – due to their failure to observe the no-zone areas. If this is totally true, then it would not matter whether the truck driver was actually extra careful or not with his/her driving.

Well, there definitely is more that needs to be proven; but while some accidents clearly show who is at fault, there are many more that will require the analysis and probing of a truly skilled lawyer in order to determine who or how much negligent each driver has been.

Court reporters are known under a few other names: court stenographer; law reporter; shorthand reporter; and, stenotype operator. One of their very important tasks is to produce an official written record or transcript of everything that is said in court trials, depositions and all other legal proceedings. Besides this is a long list of court reporters’ other duties, which include:

Attending all legal procedures where the production of written transcripts is required

Capturing all spoken dialogue accurately whether through the use of a stenotype machine, an audio recording device, or a video recorder

Providing copies of transcripts and recordings to courts, legal counsels, and the parties involved

Reading or playing back the whole or a segment of the proceedings, when requested by the judge

Asking speakers to clarify statements or testimonies that were unclear or inaudible

Preparing transcripts

Editing transcripts for typographical errors

According to the website of Stratos Legal, a (court) transcript contains all decisions made by a judge (his/her exact words and gestures), all arguments by litigants’ lawyers and testimonies made by witnesses. It is also supposed to be an unedited, word-for word record of all things spoken and who said what.

During the recent years many state courts and a number of Superior courts, such as the ones in Los Angeles and San Diego, had to let go of their court reporters due to budget cuts. Thus, some courtroom teams, which always included a silent, though very essential member in the person of a court reporter, now go on with their job without one. This means that litigants who want and need a verbatim transcript of the trial, in case they would be indicted and decide to make an appeal (Appellate Courts review cases that come from trials using transcripts generated by court reporters) will have to hire their own (freelance) court reporter or entrust such to their legal counsel who, of course, knows what court reporters do and just how good ones do their job.

Lawyers and law firms earn client respect if they are able to prove reliability. To be consistently reliable, however, legal representatives should fully understand their client’s case and not be unaware of anything that has been said and done in the courtroom, a field where court reporters also play a very vital role.

Thousands of trials have been won (regardless of which side) not only because of lawyers’ great arguments, but also because of a great team up between lawyers and court reporters – such that lawyers know what part of the transcript to ask for (and when to ask for these) and the court reporter always ready with the needed record that can help them win the case.

To the so many foreign nationals aspiring to acquire a U.S. visa to be able to work and live in the United States, one major obstacle that can keep their dream from becoming a reality is an arrest record. Government officials review visa and citizenship applications meticulously to make sure that no “inadmissible” applicants will set foot on US soil as they may be threats to others or to the nation’s peace and order.

Section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.), which enumerates various kinds of crimes, past immigration violations, and communicable diseases, provides the grounds for inadmissibility. In reference to crimes, the following will render an applicant inadmissible, much more from acquiring a green card, despite the absence of an actual court conviction:

Crimes involving controlled substance violations (which includes possession of cocaine, marijuana or heroine) and moral turpitude. The meaning given to “crimes involving moral turpitude” (CIMT) is entrusted to courts, thus, the reason for the inconsistencies in interpretation. One sure common factor, though, is evil intent, which will surely put theft, fraud, murder and serious crimes of violence, in the list.

Human trafficking, drug trafficking, prostitution, kidnapping, money laundering, profiting financially from human trafficking activities (does not include children of traffickers), and multiple criminal convictions that is given a collective sentence of five years or more

Crimes indicated in Section 101(a)(15)(B) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) but wherein the offender has declared immunity from prosecution, left the US, and refused to surrender to to the authority of a U.S. court

Aggravated felony, such as sexual abuse of a minor, rape, serious theft and money laundering offenses and murder.

US immigration laws, however, have made some exceptions concerning CIMT and violations of laws on controlled substances, based on the following considerations:

The criminal was still a minor (under 18) when he/she committed the crime

Five years has passed since the crime was committed

The person is no longer in jail.

or

The penalty for the crime committed does not exceed a year and that the actual length of imprisonment does not go beyond six months (an exception called “petty offense”).

Foreign nationals, who have been convicted of a crime in the past but meet these conditions, may still be granted a green card.

Besides the complexities of the US Immigration laws, the website of the Law Office of William Jang, PLLC, says that immigrating and establishing citizenship in the US can be a long and difficult process; and it can still become more challenging if the applicant has a criminal record.

While a seasoned immigration attorney may be able to render valuable assistance with regard to immigration concerns, a highly-skilled criminal defense lawyer may be able to provide the necessary help where applying for a “waiver” or legal forgiveness for the crime committed is the issue, especially if the crime was the applicant’s first offense.

Though it is true that a criminal conviction can forever change the life of person, the website of the Flaherty Defense Firm states that it does not have to be so, saying that one’s life should never be determined by the criminal charges that he/she is facing.